The Warriors came up short on their Senior Night, losing 48-7 to Perry on October 18 at Westwood High School.

Both teams entered the conference battle with 3-3 records and were looking to bounce back from losses in their previous matchups.

The Pumas struck first, taking a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter with sophomore Kael Snyder throwing a 42-yard touchdown to receiver Max Wendelschafer. Snyder’s strong arm and pinpoint accuracy on the play hinted at the impact he would have for the rest of the game.

Westwood quickly responded when senior running back Keshawn Barkus took a direct snap 54 yards down the left sideline with a quick burst of speed to the end zone, tying the game at 7-7 after the first. The early back-and-forth energized the home crowd and gave the Warriors a brief surge of energy.

From there, Perry began to take control. The Warriors’ defense was unable to contain Snyder, who kept plays alive and consistently found open receivers deep downfield.

Meanwhile, the Warriors’ offense stalled at key moments in the second quarter. Barkus fumbled the ball with 9 minutes, 4 seconds left in Perry’s territory, and later in the quarter, quarterback Elliot Reed threw an interception, both of which halted potential scoring drives and gave Perry additional momentum. Snyder took advantage, throwing three more touchdown passes as the Pumas scored 27 unanswered points to build a 34-7 halftime lead.

Westwood head coach Brandon Large said execution was the Warriors’ main struggle.

“Execution on both sides of the ball — a lot of mental mistakes, a lot of guys not doing their job and giving up big plays,” Large said. “We have to be better in all three phases of the game — and coaching as well.”

To open the second half, safety Dallin Hansen forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Dax Clarke, which gave the Warriors a much-needed spark.

Despite the strong defensive play, Westwood’s offense couldn’t capitalize. The Warriors continued to struggle moving the ball and sustaining drives. With 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Snyder connected with Wendelschafer again for an 85-yard touchdown, extending Perry’s lead and putting the game largely out of reach.

Snyder finished the night with six touchdown passes, leading the Pumas to a dominant 48-7 win. The Pumas’ offense was firing on all cylinders the entire night, while their defense kept Westwood from finding any rhythm.

Reed said it was important to maintain focus despite the setback.

“Everyone just has to hit the reset button,” Reed said. “We all need to bounce back and give 100% on Monday.”

Senior Kenny Johnson echoed that mindset. 

“We came out weak on defense, but we just have to keep on pushing and fighting,” Johnson said. “I just relax and think about what I need to improve on and do better next week.”

The Warriors (3-4) will travel to take on Salpointe Catholic (4-3) next Friday at 7 p.m. and will look to break their two-game skid and regain confidence for the final stretch of the season.